If the ONLY thing going on is verbal, a cop cannot punch someone. But if someone is struggling? I don’t know.
But I DO know I’m glad I’m not a cop. I wouldn’t do it for $500K/year in a big city!
We teach "keep your hands to yourself" to kindergartners so it should be within the intellectual capacity of your average police officer.
But considering the number of times I have heard people who were not under arrest have to repeatedly tell officers not to touch them, apparently not.
Better training, less watching TV cop shows might help avoid these situations.